Vincennes Man Arrested for Impersonating a Public Servant after Driving 93 mph on US 41

Gibson County – Early Saturday morning, January 15, at approximately 1:00 a.m., Trooper Roberts was patrolling US 41 near SR 64 when he observed a vehicle traveling north at a high rate of speed. Trooper Roberts activated his radar and clocked the 2005 Chevrolet at 93 mph in the 60 mph zone. A traffic stop was conducted at US 41 at CR 100 North.  The driver was identified as Justin McGiffen, 31, of Vincennes. During the traffic stop, McGiffen displayed signs of impairment. After failing field sobriety tests, McGiffin produced a wallet from his pocket and displayed a gold badge. McGiffin was transported to the Gibson County Jail where further investigation revealed he had a BAC of .07%. McGiffen was arrested and is currently being held on bond in the Gibson County Jail.

Arrested and Charges:

  • Justin B. McGiffen, 31, Vincennes, IN

  1. Impersonating a Public Servant, Level 6 Felony

  2. Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated, Class C Misdemeanor

  3. Reckless Driving, Class C Misdemeanor

Arresting Officer: Trooper Doug Roberts, Indiana State Police

ILLINOIS SHERIFFS’ ASSOCIATION ANNOUNCES SCHOLARSHIPS

The Illinois Sheriffs’ Association announces that it will be awarding over $58,000 in college scholarships throughout the State of Illinois to students wishing to pursue higher education during the 2022-2023 academic year. The scholarships are to be applied to tuition, books and fees only. The student must be enrolled full-time at a certified institution of higher learning within the State of Illinois, full-time online learning is acceptable.

Sheriff J. Derek Morgan , Wabash County, will be awarding one (1) scholarship in the amount of $500.

There will be no restriction on any applicant by reason of race, age, creed, color, sex or national origin. The only limitations are as follows:

• Applicants must be permanent Illinois residents

• Scholarships must be utilized at institutions of higher learning within the State of Illinois

• Students must be enrolled as a full-time student during the 2022-2023 school year (excluding summer session).

Applications are now available at your local Sheriff’s office or on the ISA Website https://www.ilsheriff.org/youth-2/ Students must complete the application; answer the essay question and return all documentation to the Sheriff’s office in their permanent county of residence by March 15, 2022 (must be postmarked by this date). Directory of Sheriffs offices available on our website. https://www.ilsheriff.org/sheriffs-directory/ For more information, please contact your local Sheriff’s office, Illinois Sheriffs’ Association, high school advising center or college financial aid office

Wabash County To Elect New Treasurer In 2022

Today is the first day that candidates running in this year’s election can pick up and begin circulating petitions. And one person who will not be picking up a petition is Wabash County treasuer Beverly McBride who tells WSJD she will not seek another term.

“I have enjoyed my time here, both before becoming treasurer and being the Treasurer, but it will be 34 years in April I have been here and it is time for me to retire. So November 30, 2022 will be my last day. It is bittersweet. I am excited about retirement and sad about leaving a job that has been a big part of my life for 34 years. I have met so many nice people over the years and become friends with lots of them. Even a tax collector can be friends with the public. I have tried hard to do the job to the best of my ability and to treat people politely and fairly. I feel the office does a good job of interacting with the public and being friendly and efficient. I will miss seeing everyone and wish the best for the office and the staff,” McBride stated.

Two local incumbents have announced they will seek another four year term in office this year.

Sheriff J. Derek Morgan picked up his petition for re-election this morning and Janet Will said she will seek one more term as county clerk.

The primary election has been pushed back from March in Illinois to June 28th because of the lateness of the Census information which delayed redistricting. Local offices on this year’s ballot include sheriff, treasurer, county commissioner, and county clerk in addition to precinct committee-persons.

County Clerk Janet Will said petitions can be circulated from today through March 14th.  The filing period for the petitions will be March 7th through March 14th.  The General Election day is November 8th.  

Operation Share Donations Set Record High In 2021

It was another “great” year for the Operation Share program in Wabash County. The program, a joint venture between WADI and the Wabash County Ministerial Association, provided 245 Wabash County families food for Thanksgiving dinner and 316 families received food for Christmas dinner. In addition, WADI’s Debbie Meyer said 319 Wabash County children from 137 families received Christmas toys from Operation Share.

Rev. Kevin McGinnis of the ministerial association oversees the bell ringing campaign and it was another record setting year for the fundraising arm of Operation Share. According to McGinnis, $10,249.97 came in through the bell ringers and other fundraisers while $17,158.25 was received in mail-in donations for a total of $27,408.22. That’s almost $2,500 more than last year’s previous record high of $25,063.71. McGinnis praised the generosity of Wabash County residents for the record setting donations.

Equality Man Dead In Saline County Crash

ISP TRAFFIC CRASH ALERT

 

WHAT:                      Single Vehicle Fatal Traffic Crash                                                    

WHERE:                   Illinois 142 just north of Willow Lake Road, Saline County

WHEN:                      Jan. 12, 2022 at approximately 8:45 p.m.                             

VEHICLE:                Unit 1- 2014 White Volkswagen Passat

DRIVER:                   Unit 1- Larry Grabis, 71-year-old male from Equality, IL - Deceased

PRELIMINARY:      Preliminary investigation indicates the following occurred:  Unit 1 was traveling southeast on Illinois 142 just north of Willow Lake Road in Saline County. The driver of Unit 1 left the roadway to the left and traveled through a field before striking a row of trees. The driver of Unit 1 was pronounced deceased on scene by the Saline County Coroner. No further information is available at this time.

Allendale Using Emergency Day Friday

From Bob Bowser:

Allendale School will be taking an Emergency Day on Friday, January 14th. There will not be remote learning or breakfast/lunch available. This is an Emergency Day. Covid numbers are on the rise and a part of our situation, but definitely not all of it. For various reasons, we will not have enough personnel to properly provide supervision and instruction. So again, we will not be in school on Friday, January 14th for an emergency day. Nor will we be in school on Monday, January 17th due to Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. I will update at some point on Monday concerning next week. Extra-curricular activities are still on for now.

Mt. Carmel Man Arrested For Allegedly Battering Girlfriend


On 1/12/22, Mt. Carmel Police arrested Brandon S. Cooper, age 27, of Mt. Carmel, for Domestic Battery following a dispute at a residence in the 600 block of Plum Street. Officers were called to the scene by a third party who alleged Cooper had battered his girlfriend during an argument. Officers arrived and found evidence to indicate Cooper had caused bodily harm to the alleged victim and was placed under arrest. Cooper was taken to the Wabash County Jail where he was charged and held pending a bond setting by a judge.


Mt. Carmel Woman Arrested For NY's Eve DUI

On 12/31/21, Mt. Carmel Police arrested Didi D. Pierce, age 42, of Mt. Carmel, for Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol following a traffic stop at 10th & Poplar Street. A deputy from the Wabash County Sheriff’s Office observed Pierce’s vehicle to run a stop sign and conducted a traffic stop. The deputy was handling another incident and requested an MCPD officer respond. Upon doing so, the arresting officer found suspicion that Pierce had been consuming alcohol, so a roadside sobriety check was conducted. In doing so, the officer found several clues to indicate impairment at which time Pierce was placed under arrest. Pierce was taken to the Wabash County Jail where she was processed for Driving Under the Influence and for Illegal Transportation of Alcohol. After processing, Pierce was released on a notice to appear in court.


City Council Walks Back Video Gaming Fee Increase

Upon further review, businesses with video gaming machines will not see a huge increase in the fees paid to the city. Two weeks ago, Mayor Joe Judge announced that legislation signed by Governor J. B. Pritzker increased the city’s video gaming fee from $25 a machine to $250 a machine. But at Monday night’s city council meeting, Judge said miscommunication with the state resulted in the fee being a maximum of $250 per machine and not a mandatory charge…

City Clerk Ryan Turner said one establishment had already sent the city a check for the increased fees, money which Turner said will now be reimbursed. Based on the new information, the city council approved reinstating the $25 a year per machine fee.